Can anyone give me a step by step routine to get my hair to look like normal? I have 2c hair that's about collarbone length, as you can see in the picture, and I'm contemplating just getting it permed. Right now I blow dry and straighten it every 3 days, and hardly ever wear it curly. But now that I have a baby, I don't have much time to do my hair, so wearing it curly would be easier.

What brands work best? Should I use leave in conditioner instead of regular? I've used gel and mousse but can't really see a difference. And from what I've read, I guess clumping is a good thing, which my hair does very well. Sometimes so well I feel like I have dreadlocks. How am I supposed to work with those clumps? Comb or not comb? Scrunch them out?

Keep reading these forums. There is so much information that it be overwhelming, but give it a bit of time to sink in. If you want to try going shampooless, then it's very important to check the ingredients on your conditioners and styling products. Ones that end in 'cone, 'xane, or 'conol are silicones that need a sulfate shampoo to remove. Sulfates dry your hair out, as does blowdrying and straightening. You can use a lighter conditioner to detangle, then a richer one to leave in. Or you can use the same one for both. It takes some experimenting to find what works best for you.

2C wavy with some spirals. CG since April 07. Medium texture and porosity.COs: Yes to CucumbersStylers: Krystal Ecostyler, KCCC,

Welcome! I agree with the pp. And maternity leave is a good time to go curly because your wee one won't care what you look like, so you can experiment to find what works.

It would help us if you told us what products you're using and what your routine is. Also, if you could tell us a bit about your hair (is the texture fine? coarse? thin? thick?). It can take a little while and can be overwhelming, but I think it was worth it. Hold off on getting a perm. One thing that has helped me is accepting my hair the way it is and not trying to make it something it isn't. It gets easier!

I had a baby last year which helped me decide to go curly full-time. I was spending SO much time straightening my hair. I now get ready so much quicker and like my hair much better now that I'm not fighting it.

Congrats on your baby and sorry for the novel!

Loose botticelli curls and waves
No silicones/no sulfates since March 2008

Thank you both! Right now I wash with shampoo and then just condition the ends. Then when I wear it curly I try not to comb it, scrunch in mousse and then either use the diffuser or let it air dry, just depending on how much time I have. I haven't started CG, and I don't really know where to start. Should I clarify my hair with something, like ACV, and then start the no-poo?

Each individual hair is not really coarse but not fine, and it is pretty thick, as in there's a lot of it. Usually, after about 3 days of not washing, it also becomes oily.

So if I do no-poo, do I condition all over? Or just the ends? And could I shampoo like once a week with a non-sulfate shampoo if my hair gets too oily? What brands would you recommend for that, and conditioner/leave-in, and mousse? Do you think I should comb my hair, because I feel like when I don't my clumps are so big, and not very pretty...